Terrae--Remastered
by MissLindaLee
Summary: A week has passed since Kara Zor-El landed on Earth to escape her abusive parents. She quickly found refuge with her cousin and his adoptive parents, as well as the chance to have a new life with people who genuinely cared about her, but, Zor-El has every intention of taking his daughter back to Argo City—no matter what. (2nd story in the remastered Angelica Corusca series)
1. Chapter 1

Linda sat cross-legged on the floor of Pete's living room, staring in awe at the television screen, mesmerized by the bright colors and sounds. A large bowl of buttered popcorn sat beside her, and the young girl grabbed a large handful, keeping her eyes on the screen as she stuffed it all into her mouth; she munched quietly.

"Fo, howth ditd herf harth geth fo flong?" she mumbled.

Pete raised and eyebrow as he stared at her from his spot on the sofa. "What?" he asked.

Linda quickly swallowed. "So, how did her hair get so long?" she repeated, pointing at the screen. It was Saturday morning, and Pete had offered to watch Linda at his place while Martha and Jonathan went into town to do some shopping. The young man had been a little nervous about watching Linda, but she was well in control of her abilities. She also behaved like a little child discovering new things, including a fascination with television, so Pete did the most logical thing he could think of: popped some popcorn, grabbed a couple of sodas, and put in Tangled to keep her occupied; so far, it was working.

"I think it just grew," Pete said slowly before taking a sip of his drink.

"But that's impossible," Linda said as grabbed another handful of popcorn. "I mean, I read on the Internet that human hair has an average growth rate of about half an inch every month. That's six inches a year, and if Rapunzel's eighteen years old, then her hair should only be nine feet long, but anyone can see it's closer to seventy feet long, which means her hair is growing at a rate of just under four feet per year—that's a big difference, Pete."

Pete just stared at her, trying to decide how to respond to that. He knew "Tangled" was just a Disney cartoon, but Linda was genuinely perplexed by Rapunzel's hair. Pete didn't want to give her the allusion Disney films were real, but he also didn't want her to feel stupid for asking questions, either. He briefly wondered if he shouldn't have let Linda watch "E.T." instead, but then he remembered the parts where E.T. had been captured shortly after coming to Earth…and then hooked up to machines in a lab…and Pete knew those were the very reasons Linda wasn't watching that movie.

"It's magic," Pete replied finally.

"Magic?" Linda asked, curiously.

"You don't know what magic is?" Pete asked. Linda shook her head, and Pete snorted a little, trying to figure the best way to explain it. "Wow, uh…magic is…well, it's a type of power that some people have that allow them to do certain things."

"Like the abilities Clark and I have?"

Pete shook his head. "Not exactly," he said. "It's more like—"

Linda felt a sudden, excruciating pain in her head, right behind her eyes, and she shouted a little as she grabbed her temples, squinting her eyes tightly. Pete quickly hurried over and knelt beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. From his experience with Clark, Pete had a pretty good idea what was causing Linda's pain.

Linda slowly opened her eyes and saw a quick flash before her surroundings switched into colors of blue, black, or white; she blinked, hoping the pain would stop, but it didn't. "Pete," she said in a panicky voice as her breath came in short gasps. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw Pete—really, Pete's skeleton; there was another flash, and everything suddenly returned to normal.

Pete saw the fear young girl's face. "You okay, Linda?" he asked quietly.

"That was...it was...," Linda replied softly.

"X-ray vision?"

"I was going to say revealing," Linda replied, "but, yeah." She wasn't surprised by the emergence of her new ability as she was about the pain; she took off her glasses and rubbed the spots right above her eyes; they didn't hurt anymore, but they were a little sore.

"Hello?"

Pete and Linda looked up as the front door opened and Martha and Jonathan came in. They saw Linda rubbing her head, holding her glasses in her free hand, with Pete kneeling beside her. The Kents hurried over, looking concerned.

"What happened?" Jonathan asked as he and Martha knelt beside Linda.

"Linda is now the proud owner and distributor of X-ray vision," Pete replied.

"My head is sore," Linda replied softly, still rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, sweetie," Martha said as put her arms around Linda's shoulders.

"We should probably get her back home," Jonathan said. Martha nodded and helped Linda get to her feet; the two headed for the door while Pete and Jonathan watched.

"Pete, thank you for watching Linda for us," Jonathan said sincerely.

"No problem, Mr. Kent," Pete said.

"Bye, Pete," Linda said, giving a small wave.

"Take care," Pete replied. "And don't be looking into any locker rooms, okay?"

"Huh?" Linda asked, confused.

"Nevermind, Linda," Jonathan said quickly, shooting Pete a quick look before joining Martha and Linda. The trio headed out, and Jonathan closed the door behind them.

"What did I say?" Pete asked, a little confused. He shrugged and started cleaning up the living room.

* * *

The clouds boiled and churned in the darkening skies as the red truck pulled up to the scalloped fence. The trio got out and went to the bed, grabbing the bags of groceries, before heading toward the house.

"So, when will I be allowed to go into town?" Linda asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"Soon enough," Jonathan replied as they put their bags on the island and started unpacking the groceries. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Linda answered. "My head isn't sore anymore."

"That's good," Martha said. "After we put everything, you should call Clark; he'll help you learn how to control it."

Linda smiled briefly before looking at Jonathan. "Are you still mad at me because of what happened in Metropolis?" she asked quietly.

Jonathan sighed and put his arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Linda, we've been over this several times," he said gently. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why can't I go into town?" Linda asked, half angry, half confused.

"Because if something were to happen," Jonathan replied, "someone could see you; Smallville isn't as big as Metropolis."

Linda's expression didn't change as she wordlessly headed out the kitchen door. Martha and Jonathan watched her; after a few moments Martha gave her husband a look, and Jonathan nodded. He walked outside and saw Linda leaning against the porch rail near the steps, staring off into the distance. The farmer could easily smell the rain on the wind as he approached Linda, standing beside her.

"I just want to see what's out there," Linda said quietly without looking over at him.

"I know, sweetie," Jonathan replied, "but we've got to be careful."

"I know," Linda said. A bright streak of lighting suddenly snaked across the sky, followed by a loud crashing sound that shook everything. Linda's eyes went wide, and she flung herself at Jonathan, burying her head in his chest. Jonathan wrapped his arms around her, smiling a little.

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "It's just thunder."

"It's loud," Linda muttered.

"Yah, it's loud," Jonathan agreed, "but look."

Linda heard a strange sound, almost like the sound of when Clark would take off flying—only constant and muffled, with lots of little plinking sounds. She looked over and saw rain falling from the dark sky so heavily she could barely make out the edge of the property in the distance. Linda stared in fascination; she had heard about rain and thunderstorms from her research on the Internet, but this was the first time she had actually seen it. Forgetting about her earlier fright, she tentatively put one hand out, letting the drops fall on her hand. The water tickled a little, and Linda slowly smiled as her senses took in everything around her: the cool wetness of the rain, the smell of the wind as it whipped around, the flashes of lightning, and even the loud rumbles of thunder that no longer frightened her.

"We should go back inside," Jonathan said after another rumble of thunder filled the air. Linda wanted to stay out longer, but she followed Jonathan back into the house.

"Everything okay?" Martha asked as she put away the last of the groceries in the refrigerator and started the kettle heating on the stove.

"Yeah, we're fine," Jonathan answered as he and Linda sat at the stools.

"Well, Clark called while you two were out," Martha said as she pulled out three mugs. "He said Dr. Swann contacted him a couple days ago."

"Who's Dr. Swann?" Linda asked.

"A friend of Clark's," Jonathan replied.

"Clark was about your age when Swann contacted him," Martha added. "He helped him learn more about where Clark came from."

"So, what did Swann want?" Jonathan asked warily.

"Well, Clark said one of Swann's stations picked up a signal a week ago," Martha answered as the kettle whistled its readiness; she grabbed it and poured water into the mugs, "Swann had heard about what happened in Smallville, so Dr. Swann called to find out what had happened."

"What did Clark tell him?" Linda asked, curiously.

"Well, Clark went and visited him yesterday," Martha replied, "and told him about you Linda. Clark said Dr. Swann would like to meet you."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Jonathan said as started preparing his tea.

"Why not?" Linda asked as she prepared her own tea. "If he's Clark's friend, don't you trust him?" Her expression turned a little sour. "Or is it just me you don't trust?"

"It's not that, Linda," Jonathan replied, choosing to ignore her tone for the moment; he sighed when she didn't appear convinced. "Look, I just want to know why Dr. Swann wants to meet you, that's all."

"Well, Clark's joining us for dinner tonight," Martha said. "We can discuss things then, okay?" Jonathan and Linda both nodded, knowing by her expression that it was best not to argue.

"May I be excused?" Linda asked suddenly.

"Of course," Martha asked. "Are you okay?"

Linda nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I'll be in my room." She left the kitchen and went up the stairs. Jonathan and Martha watched her.

"I hate seeing her upset like that," Jonathan said, "but I'm not going to risk our safety without knowing what's going on."

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Martha replied. "I agree with you." She kissed Jonathan's cheek. "I'm going to get started on a pie for tonight." She left her husband's side and started gathering things to make one of her famous apple pies. Jonathan smiled as he glanced out the window above the kitchen. The thunderstorm that had been raging earlier had lessened into a quiet and steady sprinkle; the farmer headed out of the house to do some work in the barn until the weather cleared.

(End of Chapter 1)


	2. Chapter 2

The sun slowly set as Linda watched it from the open loft window. She had quickly finished her chores—only took a few seconds once she kicked into fast mode—so Jonathan gave her the option of staying in the loft until dinnertime if she wanted, which suited her just fine. She loved her new family, but there were times when she still wanted to be alone and just think. Everything was still strange—the farm, foods…everything, really—but Linda had never felt more like she belonged anywhere.

"Hey, Short Stack."

Linda recognized the soft voice and smiled slightly as she turned around. Clark stood at the top of the steps, dressed in boots, jeans, and a blue flannel shirt; his glasses hung from his jeans pocket, and he held a small gift bag in his right hand.

"Hey," Linda replied before turning back to look out the window.

"So, what's going on?" Clark asked as he walked over, briefly stopping to put the bag on the couch. Linda shrugged, and Clark put his arm around her shoulders. "Look, Mom and Dad aren't keeping you here because they don't want you to see what's out there."

"I know," Linda replied, "but it's still frustrating. I escaped Argo City because I was a prisoner there. I know it's not the same here, but I still feel trapped."

"I know," Clark said. "When I was younger, I couldn't be around other kids or play sports, because Mom and Dad were scared I'd accidentally hurt someone."

"It's not easy being different," Linda said softly, looking out into the night sky.

"I know," Clark agreed, "but it does make it easier having someone to talk to about your differences." He gave her a small smile and was relieved she returned it as she leaned against him. "And speaking of differences…Mom told me your X-ray vision came in today."

"You know, I don't mind the power," Linda said, "but I didn't know I'd be getting headaches with it."

"They go away in time," Clark replied. "Do you want to try to practice a little?"

Linda nodded. "Sure."

"Alright," Clark said, smiling, "we'll start with something small. Close your eyes." Linda gave him a 'what are you up to' look, but she sighed and closed her eyes. Clark reached into his jeans pocket and pulled it out a few moments later, his hand closed. "Open your eyes." Linda slowly opened her eyes. "Now, try to tell me what's in my hand."

"That would be great, Clark," Linda replied, "but I really have no clue how to turn it on."

"Just stare at my hand, and try to see past it," Clark answered. "Imagine the layers dissolving until you can see what I'm holding."

Linda raised an eyebrow, but she sighed and stared at Clark's closed hand. She concentrated and even squinted her eyes slightly. She felt a tingle building up behind her eyes, and then there was a sharp—but brief—pain and a flash . . . and she could see right through Clark's hand. Her eyes widened as she focused on his hand, seeing the bones of his fingers curled around two small objects; she didn't know what they were, but she could tell they had wings; she smiled slowly. There was another flash, and then everything returned to normal vision.

"You saw it," Clark said.

Linda nodded. "They have wings…and there were two of them. What are they?"

Clark grinned and opened his hand; there was a pair of small silver butterfly hair clip in his palm; the wings were speckled with small purple jewels.

Linda gasped softly. "Oh, they're beautiful," she whispered. "Where did you get them?"

"Actually, Chloe bought them," Clark answered.

"Really?" Linda looked up in awe.

Clark nodded. "She saw them in a store and thought you'd like them." He smiled. "You want me to put them in for you?" Linda nodded. Clark stood behind her and gently gathered strands of her hair a couple inches above ears then fastened a clip on each side. She turned around, and Clark smiled before kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Linda said sincerely, hugging her cousin.

Clark smiled as he hugged her back. "Now, Mom said there's a few more minutes before dinner," he walked over to the couch and grabbed the gift bag, "so, I thought you could break this in." He reached into the gift bag and pulled out a lavender iPod shuffle connected to a pair of white earbuds. Linda raised an eyebrow; she didn't know what it was, but she was curious.

"This is an iPod Shuffle," Clark explained. Linda's expression didn't change. "It holds a lot of music."

"'Music'?" Linda asked slowly.

Clark sighed patiently, thinking of the best way to explain what music was. "Music is," he said slowly, trying to find the right words, "people using their voices or things—or both—to make beautiful sounds." Linda still didn't look like she understood, so Clark smiled and carefully removed her glasses, setting them on a nearby table; he gently put the earbuds in her ears and clipped the iPod to her shirt. He stepped back briefly and spun in a tight circle; in a couple of seconds, he had changed into his Superman costume. Grinning, he picked her up, holding her securely. "Press the button in the middle and hold on."

Linda tilted her head, confused and very curious, but she obliged her older cousin and pressed the large button in the center of the iPod. Her ears were immediately flooded with strange—but oddly beautiful—sounds, and Linda closed her eyes, hearing an unfamiliar woman singing unfamiliar words as

_Do you ever feel like a plastic bag  
__Drifting through the wind  
__Wanting to start again  
_

_Do you ever feel so paper thin  
__Like a house of cards  
__One blow from caving in_

Linda felt a little nudge on her arm and opened her eyes. Her cousin, smiling, nodded down, and she tilted her head; she gasped softly as she saw the farmhouse and barn—and everything else—growing smaller as Superman zoomed upward into the clouds and headed east, with Linda secure in his arms.

_You just gotta ignite the light  
__And let it shine  
__Just own the night  
__Like the fourth of July_

_'Cause baby you're a firework  
__Come and show 'em what you're worth  
__Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"  
__As you shoot across the sky-y-y_

Linda stared down in amazement at the dark world below dotted with thousands of lights, the wind whipping around them; it felt refreshing and cool, but the drop in temperature didn't bother the young girl in the least. Superman zoomed downward heading toward a large white arch Linda recognized as the St. Louis Arch; she held her breath as they flew under it before zooming skyward again.

_You don't have to feel like a waste of space  
__You're original, cannot be replaced  
__If you only knew what the future holds  
__After a hurricane comes a rainbow_

Superman descended at the edge of New York City; Linda just stared in awe as they took a wide circle around the Statue of Liberty, clinging tightly to Superman's neck as he picked up speed over the Atlantic Ocean, skimming a few feet above the water. The only light came from the full moon and its reflection, but Linda trusted her cousin to know he would keep them both safe.

_Boom, boom, boom  
__Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon  
__And it's always been inside of you, you, you  
__And now it's time to let it through_

Superman ascended once again as they approached the west coast of the United Kingdom. The two soared over the London skyline, and Kara could identify the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, and Big Ben. They headed south to Paris, passing the Eiffel Tower, before crossing the Mediterranean Sea, where they soared over the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza before Superman headed west.

The sun had already cleared the horizon as they passed over the Great Wall of China and then the Sydney Opera House. Linda's mind raced with so many things she wanted to say, but she could only stare with a big grin on her face, watching the sun moved through the sky as they zoomed over the Pacific Ocean.

_Baby you're a firework  
__Come and let your colors burst  
__Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"  
__You're gonna leave 'em all in awe awe awe_

By the time they'd flown under the Golden Gate Bridge and approached the Rocky Mountains, the sun had already begun setting near the horizon; it had completely set by the time Superman flew through the open loft door and landed as the last notes from the song finished. Superman gently set his cousin down before spinning in a circle, changing back into his civilian clothes.

"So, what did you think?" he asked as Linda removed the earbuds and unclipped the iPod from her shirt.

"That was so amazing," Linda answered, grinning so hard Clark thought she was going to burst in any second.

"I figured your first time out should be special," Clark said, smiling; he shrugged. "What better way to do that than let you see the world?"

"Thank you, Clark," Linda said before hugging him; Clark hugged her back. "So, can we do it again?"

"Maybe later," Clark replied. "It took some serious convincing for Mom and Dad to say 'yes' to this little trip."

Linda nodded; she figured the trip wouldn't make her adoptive parents suddenly let her start going out more, but being out and seeing things that she'd only seen on a computer screen was enough to satisfy her need to explore…at least for a while.

"So, you hungry?" Clark asked.

"Not really," Linda replied, "but I'm still looking forward to dinner." She tucked the iPod and earbuds into her jeans pocket and put her glasses back on before heading down the loft steps with Clark; together, they headed out of the barn when Clark suddenly stopped. Linda noticed her cousin's quickly changed demeanor, and she tensed.

"What is it?" she asked. Clark stared at the silver Aston Martin Volante parked near the scalloped fence. His jaw tightened, and Linda could actually see him tense. "Clark?"

"Linda," he said, his voice low with an edge the young girl had never heard before, "I want you to listen to me and follow my directions, no questions asked. Do you understand?" Linda nodded slowly. Clark glanced at the house before he took Linda's hand and led her toward the house.

(End of Chapter 2)


	3. Chapter 3

Jonathan breathed in the wonderful smell of baked chicken as Martha removed the pan from the oven. He would have commented on his wife's superb cooking, but he glanced across the table at Lex, who smiled at him; Jonathan nodded and smiled back.

"That smells delicious, Mrs. Kent," Lex said politely.

Martha set the pan on the the oven and turned around, smiling. "Thank you, Lex," she replied before grabbing a pair of tongs and transferring the chicken to a nearby. She carried the dish over to the kitchen table and set it in the center, surrounded by a dish of freshly-steamed broccoli and a basket full of warm buttermilk biscuits, just as the kitchen door open and both Clark and Linda walked in.

"There you two are," Jonathan said. "Look who dropped in for dinner."

"Lex," Clark put on his best surprised smile as he and Linda headed over to the table. "Good to see you."

Lex smiled. "Clark, good to see you again," he replied. He glanced at Linda, who kept close to Clark and staring warily at the businessman. "And this must be your cousin." Lex smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Lex."

"Hi," Linda said softly, trying to smile a little. "I'm Linda."

"Well, since we're all here," Jonathan spoke up, "let's get seated, and we can start eating." Clark and Linda sat opposite Lex, and Martha took her seat opposite Jonathan; the five of them started filling their plates.

"Mom, this looks wonderful," Clark said, admiring the food.

"Thank you," Martha replied. She noticed the clips in Linda's hair. "Linda, those are lovely hairclips you're wearing."

" Chloe bought them for me," Linda replied.

"Well, that was nice of her," Jonathan said, smiling. "Don't forget to thank her the next time you talk to her."

"Okay." Linda glanced over at Lex. She remembered that Clark had informed her about Lex's appearance, but it still shocked her a little to actually see him; she had never seen a bald person before.

"What, do I have a piece of broccoli in my teeth?" Lex asked, noticing her odd expression.

"No," Linda answered slowly, "you just remind me of that guy on the bottle of cleaner Mom uses—without the earring."

"Linda, that was rather rude," Martha admonished the young girl gently.

"No, it's okay, Mrs. Kent," Lex replied. "She speaks her mind; I admire that."

Linda decided it would be best not to respond, so she moved food around on her plate with her fork. Her head suddenly started tingling; she squinted tightly and rubbed a spot right above her right eye.

"Linda, you okay?" Clark asked as everyone looked at her worriedly.

Linda blinked, and then there was a flash; she looked up, and she was seeing everything in x-ray vision. She staring at Lex, and his clothes started dissolving but stopped just under his jacket. She saw a vial of a familiar dense liquid tucked in his jacket pocket before she saw another flash; her vision returned to normal.

"Linda?" Martha asked, "did you have another headache?" Linda nodded.

Jonathan got up from his chair and helped Linda to her feet. "Come on, sweetie," he said. "Let's get you upstairs." Martha got up and headed up the stairs with Jonathan and Linda while Lex and Clark remained at the dinner table.

"She's cute," Lex replied as he looked at Clark before focusing back on his plate; he speared some broccoli and ate it. "So, which side of the family is she from?"

"Dad's side," Clark answered, hoping Lex wouldn't press further. He had no idea what kind of past Chloe was creating for Linda, and he didn't want to compromise Chloe's work; he decided to switch the subject. "So, why are you still here, Lex? It's been a week, and from what I've heard, the Air Force hasn't found anything."

"Well," Lex replied, "they're still looking—especially with that incident in Metropolis with that girl."

"You think they're connected?" Clark asked cautiously.

Lex stared at his friend, still smiling. "Let's just say I'm not excluding any possibilities at the moment." He cut a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. "You know, I can't get enough of your mother's home cooking." He focused on his plate, moving food around with his fork.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Clark replied slowly, glancing briefly at the ceiling.

* * *

Linda lay on her side on top of the plush lavender comforter on her bed. Her glasses were on the nightstand, and her head was in Martha's lap. Martha gently rubbed the young girl's forehead and temples; Jonathan sat on the edge of the bed behind Linda, rubbing the soft spot at the base of her spine.

"How's your head?" Martha asked.

"It's better," Linda answered softly.

"What's wrong, Linda?" Jonathan asked, noticing her troubled expression

"It's Lex," Linda replied, slowly sitting up. "When my X-ray vision kicked in at the table, I saw something in Lex's jacket pocket." She glanced at Jonathan. "It was a small container with the protomatter from my ship."

Jonathan looked less than pleased as he closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, Chloe told us the Army **did** figure out that the protomatter was not from Earth," he said. "If Lex got wind of that, he'd do his best to get his hands on it."

"He won't be able to figure out much," Linda replied. "After a while, the material—including the nanotechnology in it—become inert and useless."

"Well, that's good to know," Jonathan replied, smiling a bit, "but it's still going to keep Lex and the Army around for a while until they figure out what's going on."

"So, that means I won't be going out again any time soon, huh?" Linda asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so," Jonathan replied.

"Would it be okay if I stayed up here?" Linda asked, disappointed.

"Do you want me to bring up your plate?" Martha asked.

Linda shook her head. "No thank you," she said. "I think I just want to take a shower right now, and maybe go to bed early. I'm a little tired." She could tell her adoptive parents knew she wasn't telling them the truth, but they just nodded.

Jonathan kissed her cheek. "Get some rest," he said.

"Okay," Linda replied. She watched her parents leave the room and shut the door behind her. Sighing, the young girl stood up and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

The air in the Kawatche caves was cold and still, filled with what appeared to be an impenetrable darkness, almost as if it was there solely for the purpose of protecting the vast repository of secrets hidden in the cave walls. Other measures—such as the parasites—had proven to be less effective. The darkness was different; it couldn't be explained or banished, resulting in less than five visits over the past five years.

Suddenly, a small particle of light appeared in the wall with the symbols. It stayed small in size, as if the darkness was attempting to stop its growth, but soon the light particle grew in size and intensity. When it reached the size of a dime, it bathed the caves in a soft glow; when it reached quarter sized, the caves glowed brightly. By the time it had reached the size of a dollar bill, it looked as if the sun itself had descended from the sky.

The intensity of the light never wavered it grew until it reached the size of a door. A silhouette of a man slowly appeared in the light, stepping through the passage and stopped. As he looked at his surroundings, the door behind him disappeared and the symbols stopped glowing, erasing any indication that the passage had been there before.

The man wore wore a black body suit, tunic, and boots. A familiar Kryptonian symbol, looking almost like the letter Z was emblazoned across his chest. He looked around, his blue eyes taking in his surroundings, then smoothed strands of brown hair away from his forehead. He headed over to the circle of symbols surrounding the octagonal groove. He reached into his tunic pocket and removed a small, octagonal key. He fingered the three sets of symbols engraved into it letting go of the key. Instead of falling, the key floated over to the wall and quickly settled into the groove.

The symbols on the key started to glowed dark black and blue before the rings of symbols lit up and rotated around the key, each ring rotating in an alternating direction. The disk suddenly opened up through the middle, and a stream of white energy shot out at the man, enveloping him in a column of energy.

"What is it you desire?" Jor-El's voice echoed through the caves.

"I seek to regain my daughter, Kara Zor-El," the man replied, his calm voice laced with a deadly determination. "Where is she?"

"Kara Zor-El has sought refuge with my son and his adoptive family," Jo-El replied. "He will not relinquish her easily. You must wait until you have absorbed enough of the planet's energy from its sun before you confront him. Your physiology demands at least one day in full sunlight to allow your body to absorb enough energy to fight on a level playing field."

"If Kal-El wishes to fight me," the man replied as he raised his hand, "then so be it." The light faded as the key flew from the slot and landed in Zor-El's hand. Without looking back, he headed for the cave's entrance.

(End of Chapter 3)


	4. Chapter 4

Linda let the warm water from the showerhead tumble down over her skin as she sat in the bathtub; she knew most people usually stood when taking a shower, but with everything that had happened—the emergence of X-ray vision, the headaches, and then Lex showing up unexpectedly—sitting just felt like a better option. She knew the water wasn't physically relaxing her muscles the way it did everyone else, but the heat and running water were very relaxing.

Linda stayed there for about fifteen minutes before she turned off the water, carefully stood up, and grabbed the bath towel from the counter. She stepped onto the mat in front of the tub and dried herself, making sure to get every drop of water. She hung up her towel on the rack before shrugging into her terry robe and leaving the bathroom, heading to her room. She shut the door and crossed over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of gray drawstring pants and a white tank; she slipped them on before grabbing her comb off the nightstand and gently brushing the tangles from her hair. She felt a chill up her spine to the base of her neck, and the young girl shivered before turning her head toward the window; she paused for a moment before slowly walking over and carefully peering out.

The glare from the lights made it difficult to see past the farm, even as Linda cupped her hands around her eyes. She had wished her x-ray vision had come with the rest of her vision abilities—namely the 'see-past-the-lights-and-into-the-dark' ability. She couldn't see any sign of movement—she knew the livestock were put up for the night—but she just couldn't shake the feeling there was something out there she couldn't see. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if switching to her x-ray vision might help, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," Linda replied, briefly turning around before focusing back on the outside.

Jonathan opened the door, carrying a tray with her dinner plate and another plate with a large slice of Martha's organic apple pie. He smiled as he walked in, then he saw his daughter peering out the window. "Linda?" he asked, a little confused. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Linda said, straightening up and turning around. "Thought I saw something out there." Jonathan set the tray on the dresser and peered out the window, looking around. "I probably imagined it, though." She tried to sound sure of herself, but she looked a little worried.

"Well, I don't see anything," Jonathan replied, straightening up and turning around. He saw her worried expression and walked over, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Sweetie, I understand the need to look over your shoulder, given everything that's happened, but I promise you that there is nothing out there."

"I know," Linda replied, "but I just can't shake this feeling that there's something out there."

"How's this?" Jonathan suggested. "If there's anything out there, we'll keep you safe."

"Promise?" Linda asked hopefully.

"Promise," Jonathan answered, smiling as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You hungry?" Linda nodded, smiling. "Well, Lex has been gone for a while, but you can stay up here to eat." Linda grinned and blurred over to grab the tray before going over to her bed and settling in and chowing on her food in the time it took Jonathan to blink. He appeared a little startled by Linda's sudden change of location, but he simply chuckled. "Enjoy your dinner, sweetie, and don't stay up too late; you're going to need your rest."

"Why?" Linda asked, curiously.

"Your mother, Clark, and I talked after Lex left," Jonathan answered, "and we agreed that you can go visit with Dr. Swann tomorrow."

Linda grinned, her mouth full, and she quickly swallowed as she scrambled to her feet. She hurried over and almost tackled Jonathan, hugging him as tightly as she dared. Jonathan smiled and hugged her back, knowing words didn't need to be said.

* * *

Zor-El stared at the farmhouse from his spot in the shadows past the field, his focus on the lighted window on the second floor. He didn't recognize the man with his daughter, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting his daughter back, once his abilities fully kicked in.

All he had to do was wait.

(End of Chapter 4)


	5. Chapter 5

Lex sat at his desk, peering out the stained glass windows of the library into the inky blackness. It had been almost a year since he had visited Scottish mansion—and even longer since he had stayed there for more than one night. He wasn't too fond of Smallville by any means, but there was a mystery out there—most likely involving some connection between and he wasn't going anywhere until he had solved it. He heard the sound of the double doors opening behind him, and he turned around in his chair.

A gaunt and gangly man shambled in, his slacks and dress shirt soiled and worn. A week's growth of beard crawled along his jaw, and an unkempt brush of mustache grew beneath the hook of his nose; dark, scraggly wisps of hair were all that was left of the widow's peak above. A pair of beady brown eyes stared at Lex, annoyed.

"This had better be good," he said, his voice low and hoarse. "It's late, and I'm busy."

"Would I waste my time calling you if it wasn't important?" Lex asked annoyed. Lex pulled the vile from his jacket and held it for the man to see.

The man's annoyance faded as a smile played on his lips. "You must have had to pay through the nose to get it," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the vile.

"Fifty thousand, to be exact," Lex replied, "which is chicken feed compared to the possibilities of what this vile might contain." He held the vile out to the man.

"Interesting," the man said he took the vile and peered at its contents. "What do you know about it?"

"Just that it's not from Earth," Lex replied. "The rest is going to be your job."

"And the arrangements for my payment?" the man asked.

"The usual manner," Lex answered. He narrowed his eyes up at the other man. "And this time, I want a little discretion."

The man raised an eyebrow and pretended to look confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Lex."

"Don't play dumb with me, Donovan," Lex growled, pounding a fist against his desk as he got to his feet. "When your pet experiments escaped, you nearly exposed Cadmus to the public."

"But I didn't," Donovan pointed out.

"That's beside the point," Lex replied. "Your failures -"

"My pets are not failures," Donovan growled. "I worked for years on perfecting their genetic makeup."

"And spent no time on any semblance of brains," Lex retorted. "Tell me again how that is in any way a scientific advancement."

"They escaped before I could finish their programming," Donovan replied, forcing himself to remain calm. "Once I get them back, I'll be able to perfect their designs."

"Your alligators will have to stay in the sewers a little longer," Lex said. "So, what do you say, Donovan?" He held out the vile to the scientist, his eyes dark. "Do we have a deal?"

Donovan gingerly took the vile and examined it carefully. He glanced at Lex, who had sat back down in his chair; Donovan slowly smiled cruelly. "Of course."

* * *

The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky as Superman flew high above the clouds, the wind whipping around him and Linda as he held Linda securely in his arms. He glanced over at his cousin and smiled; her eyes were closed, and she was grinning from ear to ear, enjoying the exhilarating feel of cool air rushing past her. She was thankful she'd been allowed to go, even if her adoptive parents spent all of breakfast going over all the rules she had to obey; she had listened patiently, trying to keep from showing too much excitement as she ate her toast and eggs.

"Linda, look!" Superman nudged the young girl. Linda opened her eyes and looked down as they flew over the New York skyline. She could see hustle and bustle below as her cousin flew them around the Empire State Building, the Trump Tower, the Statue of Liberty—all the buildings she had seen the night before, but the sunlight made them look like totally different structures.

Superman descended towards the city, landing in the alley behind the New York Planetarium. He sat Linda down, who put on her glasses while he changed into his civilian clothes; he put his glasses on before the two walked out of the alley and around the building to the front entrance. They walked into the lobby, and Clark talked with the receptionist at the desk, who pointed them in the right direction; the two headed down a private corridor.

Linda's stomach churned a little as they walked quietly down the hall. She had been looking forward to meeting Dr. Swann, but now she was extremely nervous; she reached out and grabbed Clark's hand. Clark looked down and smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly. They reached the door at the end after about a minute, and Clark opened it; the two of them walked in.

Linda slowly looked around the large room. Light streamed through the windows, shining on various objects: globes, statues, and other unfamiliar artifacts. The young woman was entranced by everything—and part of her wanted to explore the room—but she didn't feel comfortable with that just yet.

"Dr. Swann?" Clark called out.

"Back here, Clark," a voice replied.

The two headed toward the back of the room, maneuvering around the cluttered bookshelves; they reached the back of the room, and Linda saw a man a kind face sitting behind a desk. She could see his blue eyes from behind a pair of glasses, but the most prominent characteristic about him was that he sat in an unfamiliar chair, with some time of tube running out of his neck. She had never seen anyone like him, and she clutched Clark's hand harder.

Clark smiled at the man. "It's good to see you again, Dr. Swann," he said.

Swann smiled back. "It's good to see you, Clark," he replied. He glanced down at Linda, and the young woman noticed a small hint of a smile on his face. "Is this her?"

Clark nodded and nudged Linda out from behind him. "Linda, this is Dr. Virgil Swann," he said, smiling. "Dr. Swann, this is my cousin, Linda."

"Hello, Linda," Swann said. "It's nice to meet you."

Linda hesitated; she trusted Clark and knew Swann didn't mean her any harm, but she was still uneasy about him; Clark hadn't anything about Swann's…appearance. "It's nice to meet you, too," she said, trying to smile a little.

Swann noticed her hesitation, but he knew to expect it. "Can I show you something?" he asked. "You might be interested in it."

"Sure," Linda said slowly.

"Activate screen," Swann said into a microphone on his desk. A screen in front of the wall beside the desk lit up with rows of Kryptonian symbols, each row traveling in alternating directions. "I'm trust you recognize the language."

Linda looked at the screen and let go of Clark's hand. Keeping her eyes fixed on the screen, she approached it slowly, the symbols, then she turned to Swann. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"It was the message that arrived a week ago," Swann replied. "One of my receiving stations picked it up seventeen hours before an unfamiliar object crashed in Smallville." He gave her a look. "I assume that would have been your ship," he glanced briefly at the symbols, "so, I believe it was intended for your benefit, just as Clark's message was for him."

Linda stared at the symbols as she read them. "'This is Kara Zor-El of Argo City,'" she said softly, her eyes welling up with tears. "'Please protect her, guide her, and give her the love she deserves, Kal-El.'" Clark walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"It's from Rok-Var, isn't it?" Clark asked.

Linda nodded, then looked at Swann. "Why did you want to see me?" she asked, trying not to sound harsh; she just missed the only friend she'd had known before coming to Earth.

"I don't mean you any harm, Linda," Swann reassured her. "I'm Clark's friend, and I want to be your friend too."

"Why?" Linda asked, genuinely curious.

"Why are you really here, Linda?" Swann asked. "It can't be because Clark is; there has to be a reason why you're here." Linda opened her mouth, but she couldn't answer him; she looked away. "I know why you're here."

"Why?" Linda asked, not bothering to look at him.

"Because, like me, you're curious," Swann answered. "You want to know who I am, just like Clark wanted to know when he was your age. When I received the message foretelling the arrival of another like him, I was just as curious about you." Linda looked over at the elder man. "Linda, when Clark first came to me, I told him that there were no others like him in the universe. You being here proves that even the best scientists can be wrong, which means that Krypton somehow survived."

"Is that all you want from me?" Linda asked softly. "Information?"

"No," Swann answered, "I want to get to know someone who was brave enough to do what most humans have only dreamed of: travel among the heavens—and find a new home."

Linda didn't think escaping her abusive parents was really all that brave, but she decided on voicing that opinion at the moment. She stared at the symbols scrolling across the screen, contemplating. After a few seconds of silence, she looked over at Swann. "What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you feel comfortable telling me," Swann replied, a small hint of a smile on his face.

(End of Chapter 5)


	6. Chapter 6

"What about a puppy?" Jonathan asked as he stared at the group of young puppies playing in the window of the pet store in town.

"No," Martha replied, trying to get her husband away. "Jonathan, Linda doesn't need a puppy; I doubt she even knows what one is, much less how to care for it." She nodded at the bags in her hands and Jonathan's hands. "Besides, don't you think we're spoiling her enough with all this stuff?"

"Actually, the Twinkies are for me," Jonathan grinned. Martha gave him a look. "Come on, sweetheart, we're not spoiling her by getting her settled in. Clark got her wardrobe, and we're getting her things for her room."

"We've only gotten her lavender curtains and bed pillows," Martha replied, "and that's one bag; the rest is all filled with food." Jonathan smiled and shrugged, and Martha sighed, shaking her head, smiling a little. "Okay, I'll overlook the sugar binge if you don't get her any animals. Alright?"

"Okay," Jonathan said, "but we do need to get a few things to spruce up her room."

"But we don't know what she likes," Martha replied as they headed down the sidewalk.

"So, we'll get her a few things and go from there," Jonathan said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked cautiously. She suddenly bumped into someone, and she winced; it felt like she had smacked into a brick wall. She glanced up at the person she bumped into. He was tall, about her husband's height, with brown hair, and dressed completely in black. "I'm sorry."

The man stared coldly at Martha, his gaze searing into her; she actually shivered a little and took a small step back. The man turned his eyes to Jonathan, and the frown on his face grew darker. "You have something of mine," he growled.

"Uh…I'm afraid you have us mistaken for someone else," Jonathan replied politely, making sure to keep himself between the stranger and his wife. "If you'll excuse us." He started to steer his wife around the man, but the man grabbed Jonathan around the neck, hoisting him about a foot off the ground. Martha backed away, eyes wide, as pedestrians around them stopped and stared, keeping their distance.

"I don't make mistakes," the man snarled, his fingers wrapping tightly around the farmer's neck; he could see Jonathan struggle, his face turning red, as he tried to pry the man's fingers from his neck. "Where is my daughter?"

Jonathan stopped struggling as he realized who that man was. Despite the situation, he fixed the man with a hard expression. "You will **never** get your hands on her again," he wheezed.

"Let him go!"

Zor-El turned to the sound of the voice and saw Pete standing about ten feet away, his gun pointed right at him, fixing him with a determined expression. Zor-El sneered his contempt at the puny weapon, before throwing Jonathan aside. The farmer flew through the air, smashing through the front window of Harriett's Antiques, landing hard on the floor inside.

"Jonathan!" Martha said, dropping her bags and hurrying over to her husband; she knelt beside him as he slowly sat up, wincing a little.

Zor-El stepped toward him; Pete wasted no time in firing at the Kryptonian. The bullets bounced off Zor-El's chest as he reached Pete and knocked him aside. Pete flew through the air, slamming into a parked car twenty feet away. The top of the car crumpled under the violent impact, glass and steel smashing; Pete lay unconscious on top of the mangled vehicle, blood trickling from wounds on his head.

Zor-El smirked, briefly reveling in how effortlessly he had dealt with them. It was an intoxicating feeling, having that much power at his disposal, but he still had a mission to accomplish. He walked slowly over to the smashed window, towering over the Kents, glaring down at them.

"Give me Kara Zor-El," he threatened, his voice low and deadly. "Now."

* * *

Superman grinned as he flew right under a thick cumulus cloud, holding Linda securely as she reached up with one hand into it. It felt cold and a little damp, but at the same time, it was soft; it reminded the young girl of the first time her head touched the soft pillows—something she knew she'd never forget. The young girl smiled and sighed with content as she brought her hand down, wrapping it around her cousin's neck.

"Do we have to go home right away?" she asked.

"Where else did you want to go?" Superman asked, amused.

"What about one of the places we saw last night?" Linda suggested. "Maybe the one with the triangle buildings?"

"I am not taking you to Egypt," Superman replied, still smiling. "Mom and Dad said you could go to New York to see Dr. Swann; I don't think they'd be too thrilled if I took you to a different continent without their knowledge." Linda looked a little disappointed. "Look, I'll talk to them and see—" Superman's eyebrows furrowed as he suddenly stopped, hovering in midair.

"What's wrong?" Linda asked.

"Shhh," Superman said seriously. He tilted his head, listening, as he looked down, scanning the area below; after a few seconds, his eyes widened. "Linda, hold on." Before Linda could open her mouth, he held her tighter before he took a sharp nosedive toward the ground. Linda was grateful she'd already had her arms around her cousin's neck, bracing against him as he zoomed downward; she briefly wondered if she would ever get used to the sensation of feeling her stomach jump into her throat with every sudden plummet. By the time that thought had passed, Superman had already landed and was putting Linda down.

"Stay here," he instructed the young girl.

Linda noticed they were standing in front of the farmhouse, but she had never seen that serious of an expression on her cousin's face. "Clark, what's going on?" she asked.

"Look, just promise me you'll stay here, okay?" Superman said, his voice calm, but Linda saw the mixture of anger and worry in his eyes. "Don't go anywhere, no matter what." Linda didn't say anything—speaking seemed to escape her for the moment. She nodded quickly, unable to do anything else. Superman nodded his approval. "I'll be back soon, promise." He quickly leapt into the air and flew off in the direction of Smallville, leaving Linda alone.

(End of Chapter 6)


	7. Chapter 7

To those who had been through the 1989 meteor shower, it felt as if they were reliving that horrible day again. People screamed and scattered for shelter as a late model car flew overhead, crashing into a parked truck in front of the Talon. The force sent both vehicles smashing into the glass ticket booth; shards of glass flew in all directions.

Zor-El smirked as he stood in the middle of the street, reveling in the destruction he had just caused. He could feel the power in his fingertips, like the first hit of the first batch of succulent fruit from the Twellian orchards in Erkol, the fire spreading through his bones and racing down his nerves. It was intoxicating…and he craved more. He still had every intention of retrieving Kara, but he no longer had the desire to return to the desolate remains of Argo City. He had found a new domain to rule.

The sound of crunching glass caught the Kryptonians's attention, and he turned his head to see Jonathan and Martha slowly crawling through the damaged window of the antique store, trying to get away. Zor-El smirked briefly before he walked over to a nearby car and picked it up; he effortlessly hurled it at the couple. Martha screamed, and Jonathan pivoted on his feet, pulling his wife to him, wrapping his arms around her as he shielded her with his own body; he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable impact.

It never came.

Jonathan slowly opened his eyes and carefully looked over his shoulder. Superman stood with his back to the farmer, holding the thrown vehicle in his hands, easily balancing it in the air. Jonathan sighed as he relaxed his grip on Martha, who looked around, confused. When she spotted her son with the car in his hands, she immediately relaxed.

Superman carefully put the car down on its wheels, keeping his eyes fixed on the man who had almost hurt his parents. "You need to get out of here," he said to his parents, his voice low.

"Where's Linda?" Jonathan asked.

"She's safe, don't worry," Superman replied, "now go." He watched his parents hurry down the street before turning back to face the newcomer. It took every bit of strength he had to not charge and beat the crap out of him, but he knew he was going to have to keep a level head. "I won't let you take her away."

"You have no choice, Kal-El," Zor-El sneered at his nephew before blurring over, slamming into him with the force of a high-powered battering ram. Caught off guard, Superman grunted as he flew through the air, crashing through Fordman's display window, hitting displays of clothes, appliances, and electronics along the way; he skittered to a stop near the back of the store. The hero slowly got to his feet, stunned by the impact, but he quickly brushed it off; he had to stay focused. He saw Zor-El charge him again, and he quickly stepped to the side, barely avoiding another collision. Acting quickly, he grabbed Zor-El's arm and used the other Kryptonian's momentum to hurtle him through the ceiling of the store.

Superman leapt into the air, flying after Zor-El, easily overtaking his uncle; he stopped thousands of feet above the ground, hovering in the air, waiting. It took less than two seconds before Zor-El reached the same altitude, and Superman struck him with all the strength he could muster. It sounded like a loud crack of thunder when his fist connected with Zor-El's jaw; Zor-El was thrown back toward Earth, his trajectory taking him away from Smallville. Superman saw the cloud of dust and heard the loud thud of the impact before he twisted and headed back toward the ground.

* * *

Williams paced his length of his office as two uniformed officers stood at attention in front of his desk. Their superior's emotions were contained, but they clearly saw the anger burning in his eyes; they were thankful to know they weren't the cause, but they had enough experience to know they were still going to be on the receiving end of whatever fury Williams was about to unleash.

"What is the status?" Williams asked through slightly clenched teeth, keeping his voice low.

"Nothing has changed, sir," the first officer answered nervously, trying to keep his cool. "We still haven't located the vial."

"That's not acceptable, Lieutenant," Williams replied as he stopped next to officer. The lieutenant swallowed nervously, keeping his gaze forward. "I had proof of whatever crashed here last week—and now it's gone. I want it found!" His phone rang, and Williams reluctantly picked it up after the first ring. "This had better be good." He listened, furrowing his eyebrows; after a few seconds he nodded. "Get our specialists ready—now. I'll be right down." He hung up and turned to the officers. "If I don't get that vial back by midnight, you will have thirty minutes to get your things together, because your asses will have been transferred to Thule. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," both officers said simultaneously.

A muffled thud caused everyone to look around, trying to find its source; a split second later, the room shook, rattling both the objects and officers. It only took a few seconds for everyone to right themselves, but both officers noticed Williams' expression had darkened.

"Dismissed," the captain replied. The officers saluted, and Williams, his thoughts drifting, returned the salute, reducing its significance to a mere act of formality. The officers quickly left, closing the door behind them. Williams waited a few seconds, staring at the office door, before he walked over to his desk; he opened the center draw and pulled out a Beretta M9. He quickly checked it over, making sure the magazine was fully loaded, before hurrying from his office.

* * *

Jimmy exited the elevators, quickly heading toward Perry's office, his arms full of freshly processed photo. He successfully dodged objects and people, mentally congratulating himself as he reached his boss' door. It suddenly swung open, nearly hitting the young photographer, but Jimmy jumped to the side, tripping on his untied shoelace in the process. The photos fell from his hands and scattered as Jimmy tumbled ungracefully to the floor.

"Olsen!" Perry shouted as he barged out of his office. He looked around, trying to spot the teenager. "Olsen!"

"Down here, Chief."

Perry looked down to his right and saw Jimmy slowly sitting up, grabbing the strewn photos. "Great Ceasar's ghost, Jimmy, what in the hell are you doing down there?"

"Fifty two pickup?" a voice shouted out.

"Knock it off, Lombard!" Perry shouted back. He glanced back at Jimmy, who had managed to gather photos and get to his feet; his cheeks were red, and Perry could tell he appeared embarrassed.

"What do you need, Chief?" Jimmy asked, not looking his boss in the eye.

"Grab your camera and find Sullivan," Perry ordered.

"Right here, Chief," Chloe said as she hurried over. "What's going on?"

"Call came in saying Superman's in Smallville," Perry explained, "and he's fighting some kind of meta-human; could be related to that incident with that girl last week. Take the chopper and meet up with Kent when you get there. I've been trying to reach him, with no luck, but I'm sure he's got half the story written already."

"Probably," Chloe replied, forcing herself not to appear worried. "I'll keep trying on the way there."

"I should go, too," Lois spoke up as she joined the group.

"Lois, you don't know Smallville the way Chloe and Kent do," Perry replied.

"Chief, you said there might be a connection to the super chick," Lois countered. "I've been working this story just as much as Chloe and Smallville, and I deserve to be a part of this."

Chloe glanced at Perry, hoping their boss would tell her to stay put. She knew Lois had a good argument for coming, but if there was any connection to Linda, Chloe knew she had to protect that secret—even from her own cousin. "Chief, I—"

"Save it, Sullivan," Perry interrupted, holding up a hand. He glanced between the trio, thinking for a few seconds. "Lane, go with them," he turned to Chloe, "and you three can figure out how to share the byline."

"But, Chief," Chloe said, a little mortified, "what about—"

"Save it and go," Perry interrupted again, "or you **don't**." Chloe looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself; she simply nodded. "Good, now get going—all of you. Phil's on the roof, waiting for you." Jimmy quickly handed the photos to Perry before the trio left, heading for the elevators; the young photographer made a quick detour by his desk to grab his camera and bag before meeting up with Lois and Chloe as they waited by the elevator doors.

(End of Chapter 7)


	8. Chapter 8

Dust was still settling in Chandler's field as Superman landed beside the large crater and peered over the edge; he didn't see any sign of Zor-El. Heat pounding, the young man quickly pivoted around; he didn't see the fist until it connected with his jaw, sending him hurtling through the air. He grunted as he smashed into the large windmill, denting the metal legs before falling to the ground; the windmill creaked and swayed a little but remained upright.

Before he could catch his breath, Zor-El had already sped over, kicking him hard in the gut; Superman doubled over, groaning. Zor-El kicked out again, aiming for Superman's head, but the hero grabbed his foot and twisted hard, knocking the older man off his feet to the ground. Superman quickly got to his feet and charged Zor-El as he stood up.

In one fluid motion, Zor-El quickly sidestepped and brought both of his fists down on the base of Superman's spine like a hammer; Superman shouted and dropped to the ground like a stone; he groaned softly as he lay on the ground, his legs numb. The scientist towered over the fallen hero; he knew his nephew would be incapacitated for a period of time, but he wasn't going to give him any opportunity to retaliate. He squinted his eyes slightly, his eyes glowing briefly, before he fired two intense beams of heat; they hit Superman in the center of his back, scorching clothing and searing flesh.

* * *

Linda nervously paced the length of the loft, wringing her hands. She knew from Clark's expression that whatever was going on was serious—really serious; the billows of dark smoke rising over Smallville, mingled with the sounds of small explosions and loud thumps confirmed that. The young girl wanted badly to investigate, but she was too scared. She stopped as she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching and hurried over to the loft opening, peering down. The familiar red truck had pulled up to the house, and she blurred out of the barn; she met them as they quickly got out.

"What's going on?" she asked anxiously. "Where's Clark?"

"Are you okay?" Martha asked as she hurried over to the young girl.

"I'm fine," Linda said dismissively. "Clark dropped me here before heading to Smallville. What's going on?" She saw Jonathan and Martha exchange a glance, which worried Linda more. "Guys, please."

"Linda, you don't need to worry about it," Jonathan said as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Clark's taking care of it."

"Jonathan, we need to tell her the truth," Martha said gently.

"Tell me what?" Linda asked.

Jonathan glanced between his wife and daughter, then he sighed reluctantly. "Linda," he said seriously, "your biological father's here on Earth, looking for you."

Linda's face drained completely as her eyes widened in a fear neither Jonathan nor Martha had ever seen. Her knees shook, almost as if she was going to collapse right there, but she garnered enough strength to remain standing. "He's here?" she asked softly, her throat dry.

"Don't worry," Jonathan said firmly, "we won't let him get you." A painful shout suddenly filled the air, and the three jerked their heads in the direction it came, their stomachs churning; it sounded like an animal dying.

"What on Earth?" Martha asked as she put a hand over her heart, her knees growing weak. "Jonathan…."

Linda narrowed her eyes slightly, focusing. Her vision effortlessly—and painlessly—switched to X-ray vision. She would have been thrilled, but it did her no good—she needed to see closer, not through things. She tried switching back to regular vision, but everything suddenly zoomed forward—almost as if she were running at full speed, even though Linda knew she was standing still. Everything abruptly stopped, and Linda saw two skeletons in the middle of Chandler's Field, near the windmill; one skeleton lay on the ground, the other standing over it. Linda's x-ray vision suddenly switched back to normal, but still magnified; Linda was mortified to see her cousin on the ground, Zor-El standing over him, burning him with heat vision.

"Clark," she said softly as she felt something building in her chest. It was the anger she had been forced to repress for over fifteen years, but she didn't try to stop it or hold it back as she allowed it to spread to the rest of her body. Her eyes narrowed, her hands shook as her fingers slowly clenched into tight fists, and she dug her heels deep into the ground. Before either Martha or Jonathan could react, the young girl blurred away at full speed; the truck windows shattered and the vehicle rocked from the force of Linda's departure, and both Martha and Jonathan stumbled slightly.

"Linda!" Jonathan shouted, his stomach turning to ice, but he knew there was nothing either he or his wife could do...except pray for their children's safety.

* * *

Zor-El switched his heat vision on and just stared down at Superman as he lay on the ground, the clothing from his ridiculous outfit singed and smoldering, the skin on his back and legs blistered and burned. The soft moans of pain from his nephew were music to the scientist's ears, and Zor-El knew he had won, but he still hadn't achieved what he had come to Earth to accomplish.

"Where is my daughter?" he demanded.

"I'll never tell you," Superman said softly, his breathing ragged. He tried to get up, but the exposed nerves radiated pain up and down his back, searing through his arms and legs like hundreds of electrical shocks; he collapsed to the ground, groaning loudly.

"You can't win, Kal-El," Zor-El said bluntly. "The only way you could hope to defeat me—and to save her pitiful life—is to end mine…but something tells me you wouldn't have the _kojonoj_ to actually do it." His eyes flashed orange again, but before he could do anything, he was slammed in the side by a blurred object. Knocked off his feet, he went sailing through the air for a couple of hundred yards, hitting the ground hard. He tumbled roughly for another fifty feet before finally stopping, but before he could catch his breath and get his bearings, Linda jumped on him, pinning his arms with her feet and legs; she started began pummeling him with her fists.

"But I do!" she shouted, feeling a rush of energy as every hit connected with her father's face. She felt the crack as his nose broke, then both sides of his jaw fracturing, but she continued hitting him with every ounce of strength she had. He was **never** going to hurt her—or her cousin or anyone else—**ever** again; she would make sure of that herself.

"_Hundino_!" Zor-El shouted right before strong blasts of heat shot from his eyes, hitting Linda right in the face; she shouted in pain as she fell backwards, covering her face with her hands. Zor-El quickly got to his feet and kicked his daughter in the stomach as she lay on the ground; she doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach, and the scientist saw her features reddened and blistered a split second before the front of his shoe connected with her nose; he heard the crack and her shout of pain.

"_Stulta senutila __knabino_!" Zor-El continued as he continued kicking her as hard as possible. His jaw and nose radiated with immense pain, which only fueled his rage. After a few seconds, he finally stopped, breathing heavily as he watched the young girl slowly writhe on the ground, moaning in pain; her nose was bruised and bleeding, her face blistered and red, and a bruise started forming around her right eye, but Zor-El was far from being done with her. He picked her by her wrists, stretching her arms out so forcefully that he felt the muscles in her shoulders tear. The young girl wanted to shout out, but she refused to give her father the satisfaction as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her eyes, stinging her wounds.

"_Vi estas kompatinda_," Zor-El growled as he held her, her feet dangling about a foot off the ground.

"I'm not the one who got his jaw broken by his daughter," Linda replied, smirking a little through her pain.

"You should never wound what you can't kill," Zor-El snarled before he twisted her around, pinning her arms behind her with one hand. His other hand clamped tightly down on her shoulder, his fingernails digging into her skin.

"Then let me go so I can finish the job," Linda said, forcing herself to keep her voice steady, "_vi filo de hundio_." She tried to ignore the fresh waves of pain radiating throughout her body; she'd lost count of all the places that hurt, but she wasn't going to give her father the satisfaction of knowing just how much she pain she was in.

Zor-El leaned over, and Linda could feel his hot breath against her neck. He released his grip on her shoulder slightly, tracing down the length of her neck with his index finger; Linda involuntarily shuddered, trying to pull away, but her father held fast. "How about you give your mother and Rok-Var my regards, instead?" he suggested right before he violently snapped Linda's wrists.

The simultaneous cracks of her bones echoed in Linda's ears right before she reflexively shouted; immense pain radiated up her arms, and fresh tears squeezed through her eyes. She barely had time to register what had happened before Zor-El spun her around and swiftly kneed her in the chest; she felt ribs crack from the force, and it suddenly felt as if her chest was on fire every time she breathed.

Zor-El gripped Linda's shoulders tightly before throwing her to the side. She went flying through the air into the windmill's damaged frame; she crumpled to the ground and didn't move as the entire metal structure toppled to the side and crashed right on top of her. The scientist stood there, watching for signs of movement as the structure settled, but there was nothing, not even a slight creak of metal.

"_Stulta knabino_," he muttered, smirking, turning around to leave. The smirk quickly disappeared and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Superman standing less than two feet in front of him. He looked disheveled, his costume torn and singed, but he was on his feet, towering over Zor-El, a murderous expression on his face. His eyes flashed orange briefly before the heat blasted from them, hitting Zod right in his own eyes.

Zor-El shouted, his eyes searing with pain, blinking repeatedly; he couldn't see anything but darkness—and he knew he was blind. He swung wildly, trying to hit his nephew, but Superman easily dodged every swing before pulling back his own arm, reaching deep into his reserves. He let loose, hitting Zor-El in the face; the shockwave jarred him, but he remained standing as his uncle was thrown backward, growing smaller as he soared through the air and slammed into the ground—three miles away in Granville.

Superman switched to his telescopic vision and saw his uncle sprawled in an abandoned field, unconscious; satisfied, he blurred over to what was left of the windmill, quickly looking it over. He found a safe area on the structure and carefully lifted it; he paused when he saw Linda. She lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious, and Superman saw the deep bruises dotting her body; the blood from her nose and split lip had already started coagulating. The hero carefully tossed the structure aside before kneeling beside his cousin.

"Linda?" he said cautiously. She didn't respond, and his stomach clenched as he focused his hearing; he was relieved to hear her breathing and heart beating—albeit shallow and sluggish. He did another quick external scan before switching to x-ray vision; he winced when he saw the full extent of her internal injuries: both her wrists were broken, along with her nose and several ribs; she also had multiple internal contusions, but he was thankful to see no signs of internal bleeding or life-threatening head injuries. Moving as methodically and carefully as possible, he gently picked her up in his arms; she moaned softly in pain, but she didn't open her eyes.

"It's okay," Superman said softly as he carefully got to his feet. "You're safe now." He slowly rose in the air and flew off toward the farm as fast as he dared.

(End of Chapter 8)


	9. Chapter 9

Linda slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She blinked once, and her vision sharpened into focus; she found herself staring up at a familiar ceiling. She furrowed her eyebrows, confused; the last thing she remembered was slamming into the windmill in Chandler's Field, a lot of pain…and then nothing. She noticed she was in her bed, and was wearing a pair of grey cotton shorts and a white tanktop; she carefully looked to side, and saw soft, yellow sunlight streaming through the windows—and Clark staring outside, almost as if he was contemplating something.

"Clark?" she asked softly as she slowly sat up. Clark turned his head immediately, his expression changing to relief, as he crossed the room to her bed.

"Hey, Short Stack," he said as he gently sat down.

"Are you okay?" Linda asked.

"I'm fine," Clark reassured her, and he stopped her as she opened her mouth, "and so are everyone in Smallville."

"So, nobody else was hurt?" Linda asked.

Clark hesitated, but he knew he needed to be honest with her. "Pete confronted your father," he answered, "and he was injured," he Linda's eyes widened in disbelief, "but he's fine. He only has a minor concussion and some bruised ribs."

"It's all my fault," Linda whispered. "If I hadn't left—"

"It was not your fault," Clark interrupted gently. "You did nothing wrong." Linda looked unconvinced, and Clark put his hands on her shoulders. "Linda, your father is the only one to blame for all of this, okay? He's the one who decided to be the monster…and he's been dealt with."

"You killed him?" Linda asked in disbelief.

"No," Clark said quickly. "No, believe me, I wanted to…," he shrugged a little, "but someone else decided to take matters into their own hands."

"Who?" Linda asked. She had no love for her father and knew she wouldn't lose any sleep over his death, but it didn't mean she couldn't be curious.

"Lex," Clark replied. Linda furrowed her eyebrows, confused and concerned at the same time, and Clark sighed. "After I found you under the windmill and brought you home, I went back to take care of your father, but I was confronted by people who I thought were military. They said they'd found your father—already dead—and were transporting his body for testing…and that it would be in my best interest to let them conduct their investigation."

"But you said you didn't kill him," Linda protested.

"That's why I knew they were lying," Clark continued, "and if they'd really killed your father, I didn't want to have another fight on my hands. So, I visited someone who could help me figure out what was going on. He found out the military personnel were actually working for Lex—and he was able to locate your father. He was in a secret lab about a hundred miles from here—though it looked more like a scrap heap than a lab when I got done with it."

Linda was very confused and had a bunch of questions she wanted to ask, but only one really mattered. "Was he dead?" she asked softly.

Clark nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

"How?" Linda looked confused. "Rok-Var never mentioned any weaknesses I'd have on Earth."

"Kryptonite bullet to the head," Clark answered. Linda tilted her head, confused, and Clark realized he hadn't told her anything about that particular subject. "Kryptonite rocks are radioactive pieces of our planted after it exploded; they traveled here with me when I came to Earth. They're green, glowing rocks scattered around Smallville; you need to do your best to avoid them at all cost."

"Why?" Linda asked.

"Because they weaken us," Clark replied. "When you get around them, it," he paused, trying to think of the best way to explain his personal experiences, "it almost feels like your blood is boiling in your veins and the marrow in your bones is being cooked."

"I'll definitely stay away from that," Linda said, wincing a little. "So, what did you do with my father's body?"

Clark looked a little reluctant, but he knew he had to be honest with her. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I…," he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I disposed of it in the sun." He saw the unsure expression on Linda's face, and he gently cupped her face in his hands. "Linda, he's dead; he's never going to hurt you again."

Linda's eyes welled up with tears, and Clark pulled her close as she sobbed softly into his chest. He gently held her, rocking her gently, knowing she needed to just let all that pent up emotions out safely. He didn't know how much time had passed, but after a while her sobs finally subsided and she gently pulled away from her cousin.

"Feel better?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Linda replied, wincing as she finally noticed her protesting muscles. "On second thought, I feel like I got hit by a rondor."

"'Rondor'?" Clark asked, curiously.

"Smelly horned Kryptonian animal," Linda replied, "purple with a blue shell, about as tall as a…," she paused, thinking, "one of those animals with the long neck."

"Giraffe?" Clark suggested.

Linda nodded. "Yeah," she said, "and they had the strength of ten Uncle Jesses when they charged." She glanced down, noticing her injuries were gone; her skin looked pink and normal. "Wow…I didn't think I'd so quickly. How long did it take? A few hours?"

Clark looked a little hesitant. "Actually," he said slowly, "you've been unconscious for a little over a day." Linda looked stunned. "You had some pretty bad injuries, Short Stack."

"How bad?" Linda asked softly.

"You had several broken bones," Clark answered, "and some torn muscles. My friend let me borrow that." He nodded at the far corner of Linda's room, and the young girl looked over; she saw an odd-looking object, almost like two long tables hinged together. "It's a solar table; it saturates your body with solar radiation. My friend designed it over a year ago after I got badly injured. You spent about six hours in it before your injuries healed…I moved you to your bed about two hours ago."

"Your friend sounds like a good man," Linda said. "What's his name?"

"Bruce," Clark replied. "Bruce Wayne. He's from Gotham City."

"That place your father says is a festering sore on Middle America?" Linda asked.

"Yes," Clark said, "but **our** father tends to exaggerate his metaphors a bit. Gotham is…different."

"What about Bruce?" Linda asked. "Can he be trusted?"

"Definitely," Clark answered. "He's really good at keeping secrets."

Linda glanced at her cousin; she had a sneaky suspicion he wasn't telling her something, but she decided not to ask about it. She stared at the solar table, still surprised by how injured she must have been to require that extra boost; she sighed. "I'm sorry, Clark," she said softly. "I should have stayed put."

"Maybe," Clark replied, "but what you did was very brave."

"I didn't feel brave," Linda muttered, unconvinced.

Clark sighed. "Linda, you'd been so scared of your father for over fifteen years," he said, "but when you saw I needed help and stood up to him…in that moment, you beat him."

"Even though he nearly killed me?" Linda asked wryly.

"Yeah," Clark answered. He glanced at her dresser and smiled. "And I'm not the only one who thinks so."

Linda glanced over and saw five glass vases placed on top of her dresser, each one containing a different bouquet of flowers; the young girl recognized all of them from the book of flowers Martha had given her a few days ago: pink astras in the vase furthest to the left; blue hyacinths next; sunflowers in the middle; then Indian paintbrushes, bluebonnets, and yellow primroses in the fourth vase; and white stargazers in the right vase. Each bouquet but the astras had a little white card carefully nestled in it.

Linda carefully pulled back the covers and slowly got up, wincing a little as she padded over to the dresser. She picked up the card from each bouquet and read them, starting with the hyacinths:

'Movie night, next week, we'll watch "Brave." I think you'll enjoy it. Pete'

'Hope these brighten your day. Chloe'

'Your destiny is determined by looking into yourself. Dr. Swann'

'Get better soon. Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson'

"Who's Dick Grayson?" Linda asked as she turned around.

"Bruce adopted him about three years ago after Dick's parents were killed," Clark explained. "He's about your age…maybe I'll introduce you sometime. He's a nice guy; I think you'll really like each other."

Linda smiled at the thought of having someone her own age. "And who brought the astras?" she asked.

Clark smiled, then glanced at the bedroom door. "That would be them."

Linda looked over and saw Jonathan and Martha walking into the room. Relief washed over both of their faces when they saw Linda, and they quickly crossed the room to her, enveloping her in the arms. Linda's muscles hurt, but she decided not to say anything; she knew the Kents were already worried enough about her.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked as she pulled back and looked at Linda with motherly concern.

"I'm fine," Linda replied.

"Are you sure?" Jonathan gently pressed.

Linda nodded. "Considering what my fath—" she stopped herself as she stared at Jonathan and Martha. It suddenly felt strange to use that name, almost like it had just dawned on her that the man she had fought no longer deserved that title. "Considering what Zor-El did to me…and what Clark filled me in on…yeah, I'm okay."

"Since we're all here," Clark spoke up, "should we tell her now?"

"Tell me what?" Linda asked.

"Well," Clark answered as he got to his feet and walked over, "yesterday, Chloe came by to see how you were doing after reporting on the fight in Smallville…and to drop off a special package: an envelope containing documents pertaining to one Linda Claire Kent." Linda raised an eyebrow, and Clark smiled as he put his hands on her shoulders. "You are now officially a part of this family, Short Stack."

Linda's eyes welled up with tears, but she didn't even bother holding them in as she wrapped her arms tightly around her cousin. Clark tried to hold back his own tears as he wrapped his arms around his cousin, holding her tightly.

"Welcome home, Linda," he whispered softly.

(End of Chapter 9)


	10. Chapter 10

Donovan sat at his lab table, watching as a series of test tubes—filled with protomatter—spun in a centrifuge. He glanced over briefly as the lab door opened and Lex walked in; he crossed the room and stood beside Donovan.

"I heard you have something for me," Lex said.

Donovan reached over and grabbed a manila envelope; he handed it to Lex then went back to his work. Lex opened the envelope and pulled out a few lab reports and began reading them, while Donovan continued his work.

"Well, it was nice to know we got some data on our strange visitor before Superman showed up," Lex said. "Height: six feet, three and one-half inches; hair color: black; eye color: unknown, due to corneal damage caused by intense burns; multiple fractures of the zygomatic, maxillary, and nasal bones; cause of death: single gunshot wound to the center of the frontal bone; removed one kryptonite bullet." He glanced over at Donovan. "Tell me why I should be impressed."

"You should learn to read everything before speaking out of turn, Lex," Donovan replied. "The rest of the pages contain the information we were able to record about the alien's physiology before Superman showed up and destroyed everything."

Lex raised an eyebrow but flipped to the next pages and continued reading. "Humanoid, with organs in similar locations to that of a typical human being. Chromosomal count recorded a minimum of ninety-eight pairs and counting before transmission was interrupted." He all but threw the papers onto the table in disgust. "There is nothing here that we don't already know: the alien was Kryptonian—like Superman. They fought with the same abilities, and have the same weaknesses."

"But the report also indicates a third person was involved in that fight," Donovan said, looking up. He almost smirked when he saw Lex tilt his head with intrigue. "The angle of the burns to the eyes indicate someone of similar height caused that damage, yet the amount of damage sustained in the cranial fractures could have only come from someone with a smaller stature—yet still strong enough to cause damage to a Kryptonian." He raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Maybe the same person who's strong enough to throw a man through a store window and into a car."

"The girl from Metropolis," Lex said, a smile playing on his lips.

"You find her," Donovan replied, "and I'm pretty sure you'll be able to get all the answers you need, Lex."

"I'm impressed, Donovan," the businessman answered, "and to show my appreciation, I'm going to let you continue your work." Donovan looked a little confused. "Don't look so surprised. Your skills in extraterrestrial genetics are second to none—your pet projects are a testament to that—plus you seem familiar enough with the information we've already collected. Who better to conduct this little…experiment than you?"

"And what am I experimenting on?" Donovan asked cautiously.

Lex smiled ever so slightly, but it spoke volumes. "How about you find the girl," he suggested, "and see what information you can collect from her first." He shrugged casually. "We'll figure the rest out later."

* * *

It was a little after midnight as Linda carefully padded down the drive, clutching her ship's key tightly in her hands, her bare feet crunching softly on the gravel. She glanced over her shoulder occasionally to make sure she wasn't being followed as she hurried past the barn and made her way over to the storm cellar. Only a few days had passed since she'd last seen her ship, but it felt more like a hundred days. She reached for the cellar door, but she hesitated, feeling her eyes well up.

_Don't do this_, a little voice in her head said. _It's not worth it._

"I need to know," Linda whispered. She took a deep breath, quickly wiped her eyes, grabbed the handle of the door, and pulled it open. She slowly descended the stairs and stopped at the bottom when she saw the large, tarp covered object in the back corner. She slowly walked over and pulled the tarp back, revealing her ship, staring at it for the longest time.

"Shouldn't you be getting some rest?" Startled, Linda quickly turned around and saw Clark coming down the stairs. He looked at her curiously, then saw the fearful expression on her face, her key in her hands; he immediately looked concerned as he hurried over to her. "Linda, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Linda said casually, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'm fine." All Clark had to do was raise an eyebrow, and Linda knew he didn't believe her; she sighed. "When I was fighting Zor-El, he told me something, and I need…," she felt a lump building in her throat, "I need to know if it was the truth."

"What did he tell you?" Clark asked.

"He told me to give my mother and Rok-Var his regards," Linda said softly. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her cheeks. "He killed Rok-Var."

"Linda, Zor-El was a monster," Clark said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. "He enjoyed telling lies and hurting people—especially you."

Linda shook her head. "Clark, you don't understand," she explained. "The last thing I remember before leaving Argo City was my mother, Alura, coming in and trying to stop us. I was in my ship, and I watched as she and Rok-Var fought. I wanted to help, but I couldn't leave the ship, but Rok-Var managed to kill her." She saw Clark's troubled expression, and she sighed. "Clark, Rok-Var did it to save my life; she would have killed us both if he hadn't stopped her."

"So how do you know Rok-Var was killed?" Clark asked cautiously. He knew Linda had been through hell, but it still was a little disconcerting to hear how untroubled his cousin seemed about someone being killed—even if it was done in self defense.

"Because my—because Zor-El came in shortly after Alura was killed," Linda answered, "and I remember he and Rok-Var just stared at each other for the longest time…then Rok-Var pressed the launch button on the control panel. I could only watch as they fought; Rok-Var was exhausted from his fight with my mother, but he still fought with everything he had." A single tear ran down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. "Zor-El wouldn't have let Rok-Var live—not after helping me escape and killing his."

"If you know he's dead," Clark asked, "then why are you down here, honey?"

"Because Rok-Var said he would keep transmitting to the ship until it was out of range," Linda replied. "That would have been over two-hundred baizrhigs, but I went into hypersleep before the ship left the atmosphere." She looked up at Clark, her eyes pleading. "Clark, please...Rok-Var saved my life. I have to know what happened."

Clark wanted so badly to say no, to protect her, but he knew she needed to have some closure. "Okay," he said softly. "We'll do this together."

Linda thanked him with her eyes, then she turned back to the ship. She stared down at the key in her hands, took a deep breath, then held the key up, rotating the symbols until she was satisfied with their position. The symbols glowed red, blue, and yellow, and she let go of the key; it flew over to the ship and landed in the octagonal slot on the front. The ship lit up with a yellow orange light; it shook slightly before rising a couple of feet into the air, hovering.

"I am Rok-Var," a gentle voice emanated from the ship. Clark instantly felt a presence from the ship, similar to the one he remembered from his own years ago, but the voice emanating from his cousin's was softer, kinder. "If this message is being heard, it means Kara Zor-El has survived her journey to Earth, for only her key could activate this."

Linda stared at her ship, her eyes bright with tears, stunned; it had been a long time since she had heard the voice of the man responsible for saving her life. "Rok-Var," she whispered.

"I sense a sadness in you, my Kara," the voice replied. "What troubles you?"

Linda looked confused. "How do you know I'm sad? How do you know anything I'm feeling?"

"I uploaded my brainwaves into your ship," the voice answered. "I had anticipated you needing guidance." There was a pause. "I sense another's presence…who is with you?"

"I am," Clark answered. "Clark Kent."

"Kal-El," the voice said in a pleasing tone. "It comforts me to know that you and Kara have found each other—that she is safe and loved."

"Did Zor-El kill you?" Linda asked suddenly.

"Does it matter if he did or not?" the voice questioned her.

"Yes," Linda answered bluntly. "I need to know."

There was another pause. "After your ship launched," the voice said, "your father and I fought. I did my best, but I was unable to overpower your father…I lost." Linda's expression fell as tears streamed down her face, but she forced herself not to cry.

"Do not mourn for me," the voice continued. "I do not blame you for this; I knew what I was getting into a long time ago. I accepted it, because it was the right thing to do. You didn't deserve what happened to you; you deserved to be happy with people who could love you and give you the chance to live your life the way it was intended."

"Do you regret it?" Linda asked softly.

"I only regret not helping you sooner," the voice answered. "I hope you can forgive me for that, my Kara."

"You saved my life," Linda replied. "I only wish I could have saved yours."

"My life is insignificant compared to what yours will be," the voice continued. "It's time you started living the life you were meant to have…and that can only happen by severing the ties binding you to your old life."

"What are you saying?" Linda asked worriedly.

"This will be the only time you and I will be able to talk," the voice said. "I designed the ship to cease function once this transmission ends."

"No!" Linda protested as she stepped toward the ship. "You can't leave me!"

"I will always be with you," the voice said, "my Kir Divi." The ship suddenly glowed bright, almost like the sun and shaking violently.

Clark's eyes widened in horror as he quickly grabbed Linda's hand and yanked her to him, shielding her with his body. He had just started to dig his heels into the ground when the light suddenly vanished. Cautiously, both Clark and Linda glanced around, surveying the damage, but nothing had been disturbed…even containers on the wooden shelves were undisturbed.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked shakily.

"Yeah," Linda replied, her heart pounding. She glanced over to where her ship had been, and her eyes widened. "Clark, look."

Clark looked over and saw nothing: Linda's ship had vanished, but the octagonal key lay on the floor, unharmed and undamaged—right next to a large crystal. The crystal appeared to be as long as a ruler, and a little over two inches thick; its ends tapered into sharp points, and it glowed softly in alternating colors of blue and orange. Both objects flew through the air over to Linda, and she instinctively grabbed them in her hands. She slowly unwrapped her fingers from around the crystal, allowing Clark and herself a better look at the unfamiliar object.

Flames of blue and orange swirled inside the crystal, dancing around each other in random patterns, never blending with each other. They both pulsated with energy, almost as if they were alive, but both the flames and the light quickly disappeared, leaving the crystal with the appearance of a long piece of clear quartz.

"What is it?" Clark asked, still a little stunned.

"It's a crystal," Linda replied softly; she shook her head briefly. "Beyond that, I don't know." She glanced sadly over to where her ship had been, briefly hoping to still see it, but it was gone.

"You okay?" Clark asked, seeing her crestfallen expression.

Linda felt another lump in her throat building as a couple of tears fell down her cheek; she nodded as she wiped them away. "Yeah," she said softly. She knew it would take a long time to grieve the loss of her friend—and she would never stop missing him—but she had gotten the closure she needed. "Can we go back to the house now?"

Clark nodded and put an arm around her shoulder. "Sure," he said, leading her to the stairs; they climbed the slowly. "You know, we're going to have to tell Mom and Dad why your ship is gone…and about that crystal."

"Could it wait until morning?" Linda asked cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to wake her adoptive parents and worry them—and she didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to feel a little tired.

"Sure," Clark replied, smiling a little. They reached the top and Linda waited as Clark closed the cellar door before they headed back toward the house. "You sure you're going to be okay?"

"I think so," Linda said sincerely. "Clark?"

"Yeah, Short Stack?"

"What now?" the teenager asked. "What do I do?"

"Start living your life," Clark answered, "just like Rok-Var wanted you to."

"How?"

"Well, don't tell Mom and Dad I said anything," Clark said, "because they want to surprise you, but they're going to get some papers this week so you can be admitted to school. Actually, it was more Mom's idea, but Dad finally relented." He glanced down at her, and saw her slightly puzzled expression. "You know what school is, don't you?"

"Kind of," Linda replied. "I was schooled on Argo City," she swallowed the small lump in her throat, "by Rok-Var, but I remember reading that school here is where you learn about different things with people your own age."

"Exactly," Clark said. "You'll learn a lot of new things-"

"What kinds of things?" Linda interrupted, curiously.

"Pretty much anything," Clark said. "And, you'll meet people your own age, hopefully make some friends."

"When can I start?" Linda asked.

"School starts in a little over two months," Clark answered. Linda looked disappointed, but Clark put his arm around her. "But until then, you will have two months to experience other things that I think you'll enjoy." They had finally reached the house and quietly headed up the porch steps.

"Like?" Linda asked.

"Like letting your older cousin treat you to a relaxing cup of hot chocolate," Clark said, smiling a little as opened the door and stood aside to let her in. "Okay?"

Linda smiled a little in return. "Okay," she said before walking in; Clark followed, quietly shutting the door behind him

THE END


End file.
